Like Stars in The Dark Sky
by Knight Kunoichi
Summary: "Those who break the rules are scums… but those who abandon their friends are worse than scums." In their world, friends are like stars in the dark sky. A collection of stories about our dear ninjas and their friends. Lot's of OOC and fluff. Just a place to put my self-indulgent friendship stories. They need it so much!
1. Nightmares

**So, I'm insane and I needed a place to drop all the stories that don't fit in my other collections.**

 **This is completely and unshamed OOC, for Sasuke at least. Naruto is a cutie, so he's fine in here. This chapter is something I write a long time ago and happens after their fight and all those things. I really, really think that they need some sort of closure. I hope you like it. I just want to hold them tight and never let them go. Poor babies!**

* * *

Naruto growls and rolls in his bed, putting a pillow in his head. That's insane! He came home just a couple of hours ago, too exhausted to move and collapsed in his bed.

This new-found peace is driving everyone crazy. They don't have rogue ninjas or evil master minds to find, but they have piles and piles of paperwork to tackle, gruesome diplomatic meetings and all sorts of councils and they must guard the Dameyos and the Kages when they come and go and, and, and…

He's more exhausted than when he tried to master his jutsus. Kakashi keeps dragging him from meeting to meeting, asking him to pick some scroll or to walk some diplomate home.

His old sensei says that he trusts him, but it's impossible to keep up with everything, even for him and is never-ending energy.

So, he came home, took a shower and fell in his bed, just a couple of hours ago. He was dreaming about buckets of ramen, when a knock on his window woke him up.

He tried his best to ignore it, but it was impossible. He growled again and walked to the window, ready to bite someone's head off. And he knows who is the only person who would wake him up at such indecent hour…

"Kakashi-sensei, what the hell?" He screamed open the window wide open.

"Hmmmm…. Wrong person, dobe…"

"Hun, Sasuke-teme?" He looks out of the window, seeing his old teammate crouched on the rooftop. "What are you doing here? It's… It's… What time is it?"

"3 a.m…"

"3 a.m.? What a hell are you doing on my window at this ungodly hour?" Naruto screams even louder.

"Need to talk to you…"

"And you couldn't wait until morning?"

"Hmmm… Okay, I'll wait." He starts to turn around, when a hand caught his arm.

"Wait… I'm already awake… What do you want?"

"May I come in, usuratonkachi? It's cold out here…"

"Hey, hey… You come into my house in the middle of the night, woke me up and now you insult me, teme? What the hell?"

"May I come in, Naruto?"

The soft tone in his voice makes the other man stop his complains and look at the brunette for the first time, since he opened the window. Sasuke isn't wearing his usual clothes, he is in black sweatpants and a tshirt, his sandals lose in his feets. He looks dishevelled and has dark circles under his eyes. He doesn't seem fine.

"Yeah, sure. Come on!"

Naruto leads him to his bed, turning the light on. In the yellowish light, Sasuke looks even worst. His pale skin looks sickly and feverish, sweat coating his forehead, his eyes dull and casting downward.

"Sit!" The blonde points to his bed, shoving his blankets away.

"Hmmm… You'll never learn how to sleep properly…"

"I'm not the one wandering around in the middle of the night. I was sleeping just fine, just a couple of minutes ago…"

"Hugging a pillow…" Sasuke smirks.

"Shut up, teme!" Naruto blushes. "Say what you need from me and let me go back to sleep…"

"Hmm… Just… Just checking up on you, usuratonkachi…"

"Hun? Checking up on me? At 3 a.m.? Cut the bullshit!" Naruto jumps from the bed and in front of his friend. "What do you want?"

Sasuke is quiet for a moment, staring at him. Something in his eyes unsettles his old teammate. He knows him better than anyone alive. It's not usual for him to seek someone in the middle of the night, looking like this. Something happened…

He kneels in front of the other man and looks him straight in the eyes. "Sasuke… What happened? You're scaring me… Are you thinking about running away again?"

The older guy gives him a short laugh. "No, I'm not running away, not right now at least…"

"Don't joke with that… I can't deal with that again!" Naruto is always so loud, so honest, so simple…

He shakes his head. "Relax, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon… And if I'll go… I'll come back… I told you that…"

"So, what's the problem… And don't say you're fine, you look like crap!"

"Thanks, dobe…" He sighs. "I don't know if you'll understand…"

"So, explain to me. I'm not that dumb, you know?" Naruto feels exasperated, it's too late for this… or too soon? He doesn't even know…

"You could fool me…"

"Sasuke-teme…" His voice cames in a low, warning tone.

"Okay, fine… But even if you understand, you'll laugh…"

"Try me…" He stands up and crosses his arms.

"I… I…" He hesitates. "I had a nightmare, that's it. Go ahead and laugh." He blurts out.

"You are the worst at telling jokes. Not funny at all." He sits back in the bed. "About what?"

"Hmmm?"

"The nightmare. What it was about?"

"The massacre…"

"Outch… I'm sorry, Sasuke… That's awful…" His voice is genuinely caring and concerned.

"I'm used to it. I used to have nightmares about it almost every night… It's better now… Since… Since I came back…" He looks down, looking uncomfortable.

"I'm glad to hear that…" Naruto puts a hand in his shoulder. "It's okay. We all have them. They just play a different scene for each person. Kakashi-sensei dreams about his old teammates, Sakura dreams about the war, I dream about Ero-senin and the war and… you…"

"Me? That's creepy, teme… Don't be a pervert…"

"Not like that…" He hits the other man's arm. "I dream that you run away again… Or that I killed you and somehow survived…"

"That's what you said you'll do, right?"

"No, I said that I would die with you, not kill you AND survived!" Naruto shakes the thought away. "It's not the same… I couldn't stand… You know…"

"Yeah…" They sit in silence for a moment. "It was different this time…"

"The nightmare?"

"Yes… It wasn't about my family…"

"So, what it was about? You said it was about the… that day…"

"Yeah… Kind of… But it wasn't about nii-chan doing…that…"

"Sasuke, spill it up! You need to talk, you'll feel better…"

"It's stupid... Forget about it."

Sasuke tries to leave again, only to be stopped. "It's okay. You can talk to me. I won't laugh… Or tell anyone. Come on…"

"It was about you… All of you. I killed you! One by one! I stabbed Kakashi in the back with a sword. And all the others. One by one until the sword broke in someone's ribs. And then I send Chidori right through Sakura's heart! And then, I… I…"

He can't finish the sentence, heavy breaths escaping his lips, close to hyperventilation. His body is shaking from head to toe, his fist clenched, grabbing his pants.

Naruto never had seen his teammate like that, usually he is the stoic, controlled one. Right now, he looks more like a frightened child than a cold-hearted killer.

"Sasuke, look at me, it's fine, everything is fine. You didn't do nothing of that, they are all alive and well, sleeping in their beds. You didn't kill any of them, you couldn't. Do you want to go and check up on them? I can go…"

"I killed you! I killed you with my own hands!" Sasuke turns and grabs the fabric of the other man's short. "I felt your blood in my hand, I felt you heart stopping… I… I… Killed you…"

He drops his head, shaking like leaf. Naruto is shocked. Sasuke is… Is he crying?

The blond freezes for a moment, completely stunned, before doing the only thing he can do right now: holding his old teammate, his best friend in his arms, hugging him close to his chest.

Sasuke struggles for a moment, fighting the arms encircling him.

"Shush, it's fine. I'm fine. I'm right here, alive and kicking. Just relax. Breathe. Take deep, long breaths. I'm right here. You are safe, you are back home. Just relax. You can cry all that you want. We can talk later, it's fine. Everything is fine."

Sasuke is too shaken up to fight him. He's too tired, too lost, too sick of all the fighting and the blood and the dead bodies. He's lost. He lost everything and everyone that he ever cared about.

Except for his old teammates. They never gave up on him, they never stop trying to save him. To save him from himself.

He's too exhausted to think. So, he does as he's told. He breaths in and out, synchronizing his breathing with the rise and fall of the chest so close to him. He concentrates in those steady breathes, that strong heartbeat. For the first time in years, he lays his head on someone's shoulder, too tired to keep it straight and grasps the fabric of the shirt between his fingers.

"I'm so tired…" He manages to whisper.

"I know… I know… It's fine. Just relax and you can lie down and get some rest…"

"I… I… I'm okay… I guess" Sasuke pulls away, looking down, ashamed of his behaviour.

"You're not. But it's fine, you'll be. Just lie down and rest."

"In here?"

"Yes, in here. I'm not letting you wonder around like that, you're mess. Get in the bed, I'll come right back."

Naruto walks in the bathroom, as a confused Sasuke lays is head in the pillow, his feet still on the floor.

"I told you to get in the bed. All the way. Not just half of you." Naruto gives him a wet washcloth. "Here, clean your face." He winks and picks his legs, gently putting them in the bed and pulling the blankets up and around him.

"Thanks, Naruto…" Sasuke whispers.

"Shh, not mention it. Nothing happened here tonight."

"No, I'm serious, thank you. You were…"

"Your best friend, like always." Naruto jumps and lays on top of the bed covers.

"You'll sleep in here?" He gets a nod as an answer. "On top of the covers? You'll freeze!"

"I have another blanket in here and I don't need all those covers. I'm hot by nature!" He flashes a smile.

"Usuratonkachi…" Sasuke turns away from him. "When… When did you got so good at this… thing?"

"What thing? Comforting people?" Naruto snorts a laugh. "Lots of things happened in the last years… I just… grew up. I guess… We all comforted and got comforted by someone at some point… We learned what to do…"

"Hmmm… Thanks again…"

"Stop with that… It's fine, nothing happened. Go to sleep. I really, really need to sleep."

For the first night in years, Sasuke closes his eyes and fells a sleep feeling completely safe. For the first night in years, he wasn't plagued by nightmares and woke up in a cold sweat.

In the next morning, they woke up and didn't talk about the night before. Naruto walked him to the door and waved him goodbye.

He almost didn't hear his friend saying "My window is always unlocked… Just for you to know…"

They never talked about that night. Neither about the others that follow it…


	2. Guys' Night Out!

**So, I wanted a light funny chapter for these hard working guys, but I think I went totally OOC this time. Sorry for that! But it's funny and light, after all those heavy feelings and dark momments in the previous chapter, so indulge me, please! See you soon and thanks for reading!**

* * *

Just another day and another boring meeting. Being a sensei can be the most amazing thing sometimes… Other times, it was the most boring, exhausting, cringe-worth thing in the world.

It was one of those weeks for everyone, when things just don't go as planned, when the kids are impossible and the missions are just tedious or the clients are a pain in the ass. Having to sit in a meeting, on a Friday is just the icing in the cake.

"Iruka… Do we really need to do this right now? Like, REALLY need?" Asuma's voice sounds tired and annoyed.

"It's part of your schedule. We need to meet, every month, to access the genin's development. It's in the rules."

"Okay, I get that. But can't we do this on Monday morning, perhaps?" Kakashi offers.

"No, no mornings. You get here even later than usual." Iruka scolds.

"That's because I don't want to be here…"

"Yosh! My eternal rival! Cheer up! We can have a challenge after this!" Guy's voice reverberates in the tiny room.

"I'll have a migraine after this…" Asuma sighs.

"Can you behave like professionals for 5 minutes?"

"Look, Iruka, I get it, this needs to be done, but we had an awful week, we are tired and not thinking straight. You know better than anyone how those kids can be… We are not in the mood to sit in this stuffy hell hole and talk about them for 2 hours, on a Friday evening…"

Iruka shakes his head. He understands, he really does, but this is mandatory.

"We could go and have dinner… And talk there… What do you think?" He offers.

"See? You are a genious! Let's go!" Asuma is up and out of the door even before the others have time to speak.

"I think it's a deal…" Kakashi opens his book and heads out, with Guy hot in his heels screaming about challenges and rivalry.

They choose a nice and quiet meat restaurant (thanks, Asuma!) and order food and drinks before Iruka attempts to start the discussion again.

"So, can we talk now?" He hesitates, but he receives three nods as answer. "Great… Any news about the kids?"

"Hm… Everything is the same with mine…" Kakashi says.

"So, your boys keep trying to kill each other?" Asuma chuckles.

"Daily… And Sakura keeps giving mild concussions to Naruto…"

"I don't know how you handle it…" Asuma shakes his head. "I thought that you would be the next Ino-Shika-Cho sensei…"

"Me? Why?"

"Because of the 'lazy genius' thing…" Iruka answers.

"Thanks a lot! Are you calling me lazy?"

"You are not the most energetic one, my eternal rival!"

"I was going to say, because of your talent to strategy, but they are right too…" Asuma laughs.

"Actually, I was the one who thought that you were the best for them… And the Hokage wanted you to handle Naruto or Sasuke, so…"

"Okay, now I'm intrigued… Explain that." Kakashi puts his chopsticks and book down and looks at the younger man.

"I don't know his reasons. He wanted one of them with you, so I suggested both. Naruto could use the help of a more skilful teammate and Sasuke would beneficiated of someone more… cheerful… And Sakura is something in between so, she seemed like a good fit."

"So you are the reason that I'm stuck with those three walking migraines?"

"Oh don't talk like that… You love them!" Asuma hits his arm. "And me? Why did you recommended me?"

"Shikaku-san thought that the trio needed someone… energetic to handle them. And you have a great mind to strategy, so…"

Asuma smiles. "Thanks for that… They are something… I don't know how you both keep up with your teams, I think I'm the lucky one!"

"Yosh! My team is the best!"

"Hey, hey, don't start…" Kakashi placates. "They are different, but they are all good kids…"

Iruka shakes his head. There is no way to discuss the meeting's agend with them today. They are all over the place. But the kids are fine, so the issue can be postponed.

Although, the initial propose of the dinner was totally missed, they actualy had such a good time that Asuma suggested to end the night in a bar, to "relax a bit before sleep". Kakashi seemed a little annoyed, he's a loner after all, but the fear of a drunk Guy running around the town compelled him to accompanied the bunch.

A nice bar and a couple of sake shots (except for Guy, he drank tea) later they are more than relax.

"So, Asuma, you and Kurenai? Are you dating now or what?" Kakashi winks at him (or blinks, you can never tell the difference).

"We are not dating!"

"And I'm the pervert, hun?"

"What do you mean?" Asuma's face is beet red.

"Well, I'm not the one, strolling around with a woman that I'm not dating with…" Kakashi emphasises the 'not'.

"We are just friends…"

"With some benefits, right?" Guy says. "Nothing to be afraid, my friend! It's just the spring of the youth running through your veins!"

"Leave me alone, guys! We are not dating, we are just good friends… With some benefits…" He hides his smile behind his cup.

The other three laugh at his sudden confession. "So… And you Iruka? Still a celibate?" Asuma asks.

The chunin spits his drink. "Me? I'm not… I'm not dating anyone, either."

"Like Asuma said… You don't need to date someone to have some benefits…" Kakashi's gives his signature eye smile.

Iruka flushes bright red. "I'm not having… benefits, too…"

The jounins laugh at the younger man shyness. "But I can ask you the same question, Kakashi-san, Guy-san?"

"Well, I can't say that I'm waisting the spring of my youth…" Guy says. "But a gentleman can't kiss and tell…" He smiles. "And you, my youthful rival?"

"I'm fine, thanks…"

"Oh come on, Kakashi! You need to give us more than that. You started this talk!" Asuma teases him.

Kakashi gulps down another shot (how he manages to do it without taking his mask off is a mystery). "I'm not dating or having benefits. And I'm fine this way."

"Really? No one?" Iruka receives a nod. "That's weird… The girls in the academy keep whispering about you…"

Kakashi's surprised expression makes Asuma laugh so hard that he chokes in his cigarette. "Are you kidding me? You didn't notice? Even the serious, uptight Shizune checks you out!"

"And Anko practically drools all over him…" It's Irukas turn to tease the grey-haired shinobi.

"That's no way to talk about two powerful and respectful kunoichis. You should show more respect." Kakashi scolds them, but looks a bit startled. "Besides, I'm smart enough to keep business and pleasure apart… Or to mess with Tsunade-sama's protégé..."

"That's why you keep reading porn! You need a woman, man!" Asuma voice sounds a bit slurred.

"And you need to stop drinking…" Kakashi says.

"Oh, stop it man! Loosen up! It's our night off!" Asuma looks around and spots a karaoke machine. "Look, let's give it a shot."

"No way… Asuma, behave yourself!"

"Yosh, let's share the sound of spring with all these people!" Guy jumps and drags a stumbling Asuma and a disconcerted, but semi-drunk Iruka with him.

Three love songs, five bursts of manly tears and two bottles of sake later, a very annoyed Kakashi and a singing (but thankfully sober) Guy drag the other two man to Kakashi's home.

"I don't know why we are in MY house!" Kakashi sighs and holds Asuma under a cold shower, while Guy helps Iruka, who's currently hugging the toilet.

"It's the closest, my eternal rival! But I challenge you to a rock-paper-scissors game! The loser offers his home the next time we meet!"

"No… no next time! I'll never drink again…" Iruka whines, between rounds of heaves.

"Let's do it again next week!" Says a soaking wet Asuma.

"NO!" Kakashi sounds exhausted. "Let's get you both to bed and try to get some sleep, too…"

They lay the drunk men in the beds on the Kakashi's spare home, before going to bed themselves. Well, technically, Guy slept in the couch…

In the morning, when Kakashi wave them goodbye and walked to the monument for some quiet, alone time, he smiled… Sometimes, it's good to have them around, to have someone to small-talk and have a couple of drinks… They should do it more often, life is too short to waste…

Well… Maybe next time, he'll chose a bar without a karaoke machine…


	3. Small Comforts

He never expected that coming was going to be easy. He expected the dirty looks, the whispers, the gasps. People took a step out of his way and talk behind his back. Shinobis didn't trust him, they end up conversations when he's near them, they gaze of their shoulders to check on his moves.

He learned to get out of the way. To travel across town using trees and rooftops, hanging in empty training fields and in the woods, when he is alone.

He expected the long interrogations and questionings, but he didn't expect that Ino was the one doing it. She always apologized before getting in his mind, she never pushed too hard when she feels that it's something private, she always exits, leaving a nice memory behind, handing him a glass of water with a smile.

He didn't expected to have to endure Sakura and Ino's endless rambling and chattering, trying to tell him everything that happen after he leaved, trampling each other, screaming and screeching until his almost deaf.

He expected the medical examinations. To be tested from head to toe, trying to understand what had change in his body. But he didn't expect the concerned look in Tsunade's eyes, the way she yelled, when a medic-nin jabbed a needle in his arm with too much force.

He expected the nightmares, waking up disoriented and in a cold sweat. What he didn't expect was seeing his old sensei, sitting next to his bed, a reassuring smile on his face or one of his old teammates, waking him up with a gentle shake and a worried look.

He expected all the hate, fear and distrust he received. He just didn't expect all the love and care. And how much everything affected him.

Sasuke's training in an empty field. Losing his arm not only affected his jutsus, messing up with his hand signs, but also altered the way he uses weapons, making him lost balance and missing the targets. It's hard to throw a kunai or a shuriken with his right hand, he's not used to do it anymore.

So, he's training his aim for a few hours. He's finally able to hit the centre of the target every time he tries and now is trying to hit multiple targets.

He throws five shurikens and misses 4 of the targets. "Kuzo…" Escapes his lips.

"Feeling a little like me, teme?" A happy voice sounds behing him, four silver stars flying and hitting the centre. "Bull's eye!"

"What do you want, usuratonkachi?" He sighs. He's so not in the mood for this…

"I'm not the loser anymore, teme!" He teases. "I bring you lunch, you need to eat…"

They sit next to a tree, eating in comfortable silence. Somehow this feels good, normal… Something is like it used to be. Sasuke will never admit it, but he'll be forever grateful to this knuckle-head.

"You could get it fixed, you know that, right?" Sasuke looks at him, confused. "Your arm. Tsunade-ba-chan can fix it… Like she did to mine…" He lifts his left arm.

"I don't want it… It's fine…"

"You're being stubborn… You don't need to suffer or some stupid thing like that… Let her help you… It doesn't hurt and if you're afraid I can go with you…"

"I'm not afraid… Pain doesn't scare me… I just…" He shakes his head. "I just don't want anything added in my body… It feels like someone or something is always taking control of it, like there is always some part that doesn't belong to me…"

Naruto is stunned with this confession. The raven-haired man never talks too much about himself or about what happened to him in the last years. To be honest, he doesn't talk too much, period.

"He… he did… You know… he did something to your body?"

"What? Who?" He looks confused for a moment. "Oh, he! No, he didn't. Just check-ups and training… He needed my body in perfect condition…"

Naruto sighs. "Thanks Kami… I… I… I was so afraid…"

Sasuke smirks. "You could have asked… You woudn't be the first. I'm fine, don't worry…"

"No, you aren't. You are anything but fine. I waited and waited. We all do… But it's enough. You need to talk to someone. To me, to Sakura, to Kakashi, I don't care. You need to talk…"

"I'm fine… And your little shadow is hiding in the bushes, by the way…"

"My little… Ah, Konohamaru! What the hell, do you think you are doing? Come here!"

The kid jumps in front of them. "I was just checking on you, nii-san! You are here, alone with… him…"

"Him? Show some respect, brat! He's my best friend!" Naruto loses his temper.

"Friend? He's a traitor, his mentor killed my grandfather, his friends killed my uncle! I don't respect him!" He spits in the ground and crosses his arms, a defiant look in his eyes.

The blonde man jumps to his feet and holds the 14-year-old arm. "Apologize, right now!"

"NO! Leave me alone! I'm your friend, and Sakura and Shikamaru and Sai and the others! We stayed with you, we waited for you. Not him! He never was your friend!"

Naruto is seeing red, he feels his arm lifting, ready to strike the kid, before Sasuke hold him down.

"Naruto, don't. Don't do that. Don't hit a child for saying what he feels. It's just wrong. And he's right, I'm everything he said." Sasuke looks at the kid. "Except, that I never met Hidan or Kakuzo…"

The other man takes a deep breath. "Sorry, Konohamaru. I'm sorry. But you can't talk about him like that, not in front of me. Ever."

"Why?" His voice sounds choked and strained.

"Why? Why what?"

"Why do you love him so much?"

"I told you, he's my best friend. The first friend I ever had… It's hard to explain… You'll get it someday…"

"You trust him? You really trust him?"

"I trust him with my life…"

"Fine…" Konohamaru takes a deep breath. "Sorry… I still don't like you… but if nii-san does… I'm sorry."

The older men smile. "You don't need to apologize" Sasuke shakes his head.

"Go home, go check up your cousin. We can talk better tomorrow" Naruto runs a hand in the kid's hair affectionally and watches him duck and jump to a tree, running off.

"Nii-san?" Sasuke asks.

"What? The kid likes me… I taugh him a few things…"

"So, you're a mentor now? Poor kid…"

"You are jealous, teme!" The blonde hits his arm.

They sit in silence for a moment. "It's hard, okay? Coming back… It's hard…" Naruto waits for him to continue. "Everybody hates me… I understand but… It's harder than I expected… And the nights… I keep waking up, thinking that I'm somewhere else… It's hard…"

"I know the feeling… I know how much it hurts, being hated and feared by everyone…"

"How did you deal with it? You're just a child…" He hangs his head. "And I was a jerk to you, too… I could have…"

"Oh, stop it! You were a child, too. And you were suffering, much more than me…. You were right, I didn't know the feeling of losing a loved one… Now, I know…"

Sasuke sighs. "We are so screwed up… I don't even know how to start… healing… picking up the pieces…"

"You don't… You let others do it… That's why we are here. You aren't alone. We are here to help you…"

"I'm not used to…"

"Oh, shut up! Get used to it! You need to stop hiding in the woods and pretending to sleep. We are here. Come to us. To train, to talk, to sleep… It's easier when you aren't alone…"

"Hm… You know, what the kid said?" Naruto nods. "That's what the others think about me too… I can barge in when they are with you or Sakura and ask you to hold me… And that Sai guy? He hates me… He releases so much killer intent when I'm around…"

"Really? He means well, don't worry about him. He'll get used to you. And I'm not saying to come to us and throw yourself in our arms… Okay, maybe Sakura would like it!" He laughs and the other shakes his head. "Just… have lunch with us or come to my house to talk… I have a spare room now, you can sleep in there too…"

"Thanks, but no… It's… too soon to have lunch in the village… And I'm not a scared child to sleep with you…"

"Fine…" he stops for a moment. "I can come here to train with you… I can bring something to eat…"

"That… That I would actually like…" He smirks. "I could use a practice dummy…"

"Teme… I gave you a lot of trouble! We are equals now…"

"Nah… I think you are a little better than me… But I'll get better again!"

Naruto laughs hard. He looks at his friend and gives him a reassuring smile.

Everything will be fine, eventually. He's back. It's all that matters. The rest… The rest will fall into place someday… He can wait…


	4. Fixing Things

Sakura can fix almost anything. After all, she's a medic-nin. She can perform surgical procedures, make complicated antidotes, save lives with her own hands. What most people don't know is that she can fix other things. She's the "handyman" of the house, even her old sensei and teammates joked about it.

So, yes, she can fix almost anything. But lately she can shake the feeling that she can fix the most important things in her life.

After the war, things slowly started to fall in their right places. Finally, she has all her boys together, safe and sound, well, as safe and sound as they can be.

They spent the first months almost on top of each other. Literally. They never were more than a couple of feet apart and they slept in the same room for weeks. It was the only way for them to relax, to sleep, to keep the nightmares away. She would wake up several times just to check their vitals, to make sure that they were alive and breathing. She caught Kakashi looking at them, concealing his teary eyes behind his book. They were okay, they were together.

But now, life resumed its own pace. She was back at the hospital, Kakashi has Hokage duties and the boys keep hovering around him, his noble guard and trustworthy men.

So, Sakura has too much time in her hands to think. And she doesn't have to think about their safety anymore. Now, she has time to think about all the other things in her life.

She spent so many years wondering and waiting and worrying that now, she feels…empty…

She sighs again, playing with her teacup. She should be reading hospital reports, but her mind keeps drifting.

A soft knock on her door brakes down her train of thought. "Come in!"

A familiar blonde strolls in. "Hey, forehead! How are you?"

"Fine… What do you need, Ino-pig?"

"Nothing, just dropping some psychological reports and I think to come to visit you… To catch up or something…"

"Oh… Thanks." She hesitates for a moment. "Do you want some tea?"

"Do you have some time to talk?" Sakura nods. "Then, yes, I want tea!"

"So… How are things going?" The pinkette puts another cup in the table and pushes the papers to the side, to have more room.

Ino rests her chin in her hand. "Sakura… How do we get here? How do we become… this?"

"Hun? What are you talking about?"

"We used to be friends… Best friends… You used to be my only friend… And then… What happened?"

"Life… A stupid crush on a boy who didn't give a crap about either of us… Competition… Envy… Jealousy… I don't know… We were so self-centered… So busy drowning in our personal dramas…"

"We were so stupid… We still are…" Ino laughs. "Everybody grew up and we forgot about it… We are still the weaklings…"

"Hoy! I'm not!" Sakura yells. "Neither are you… You grew up so much, you improved so much… You replaced your father, you turned that department upside down. You work on the psychological part of the shinobi's life is amazing…"

"Yeah… I guess so… I guess I lived up to my father and Asuma's expectations, hun?"

"Much more than that…" The other girl smiles. "I can't imagine how hard it must be… In the end, I was the lucky one… They came home…"

"No, not lucky… You fought long and hard for that… I used to look at you and think that I couldn't have done it… Waiting all that time, without knowing if they were okay or alive or…"

"I couldn't do much than that… They were my team, my friends, my…"

"Boys… Yeah, they are our boys…" Ino smiles. "We sound like mother-hens! They drive us insane and we still love them…"

"It's our job, I guess…" Sakura stays quiet for a minute. "Do you still love him?"

"Who? Sasuke?" Ino shakes her head. "Not in that way… I love him, of course. But like I love all the others… We became so close, after all…"

"That's true… Just a couple of years and everything changed…"

"Life never stops, like Asuma used to say…"

Sakura nods, before a mischievous smile plays in her lips. "Okay, let's get to the business… You and Sai! Tell me everything!"

"What? Me and what?" Sakura raises an eyebrow and Ino sighs. "Fine, no point in denying it… What do you want to know?"

"Everything! A dangerous, mind-reading woman is playing with my emotional troubled boy… I want to know everything!"

"I'm not playing… Oh, stop it, forehead!" Ino laughs. "We just… like to spend time together… He's… special… different… And after that Genko thing…"

"Yeah… he was so shaken up… He asked for you a hundred times when I was checking him up…"

"I was so scared… Him, Shika… Those boys will be the death of me…"

"Do you want some lessons to deal with them?" Sakura laughs.

"Punching them on the head?"

"It works… sometimes…" The pink-haired kunoichi winks. "But your methods are fine… Sai is so happy when you are around… He's finally starting to heal… Emotionally, I mean…"

"He's just a scared child…" Sakura nods. "I won't hurt him, Sakura… I really love him… I'm trying my best…"

"I know that. And you're doing more than enough…"

"So… you and Sasuke? How are things?"

She sighs. "You know him… Two steps forward, one step back… But he's fine… He's talking more, open up to us… After all this time, we are finally sleeping in peace…"

"In your own beds?" The blonde smirks.

"Oh, well… most of the time…" Sakura giggles. "How do you know that?"

"We all did it… We all keep our windows unlock just in case. We all feel safer when we are next to each other…"

"We are more than teams, right?"

"Right!" Ino hesitates. "Sakura… I meant it… My window is always unlocked… For when Sai has nightmares, or Shika has trouble sleeping, or Chogi is worrying about us… And for you… When you need it…"

"Thanks, Ino. Mine is open, too… For you…"

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Ino starts laughing. "You know what? I'm kind of like your sister-in-law now!"

"Oh Kami, you are!" Sakura laughs with her. "We need a girl's night to bitch about the guys!"

"Totally! I need to find out when Temari is back, to invite her, too."

"So, they're official?"

"Of course, not! They are 'just friends'! Those two morons… But I like her, she's good to him…"

"Don't get me start in the 'moron' subject… Poor Hinata…"

They laugh together. "This is so good, so normal…" Ino comments. "Why did we wait for so long?"

"Because we are morons, too… It's contagious!"

They dissolve in a laughter fit, giggling uncontrollably, like in the good old days.

Yes, Sakura can fix almost anything… But that doesn't mean that she doesn't need a hand sometimes…

And she knows that now, finally, things will be perfect again…


	5. Apology

**So, I'm working for 12/14H a day, so I'm exhausted and I can't stand computers and technology. The other side effect is that I only want to write fluffy meaningless things. This popped up on my mind during my lunch brake (which was at 4 in the afternoon), so I'm sorry, this is the result of a fuzzy brain, low blood sugar and too much stress. But I think is kind of cute and I love these two sweet,chubby babies, as much as I love their parents! Enjoy!**

* * *

Shikadai felt the presence a couple of seconds before hearing the tentative footsteps. He smirked without opening his eyes. Like his parents, he's pretty good identifying people by their chakra signatures, the sound of their feet and the way they move. He knew who the person was, but he didn't move, he waited. He knows how hard this must be, so he gives him time to build up courage and come to him.

It took a couple of minutes for him to feel movement again. "Shikadai?" He raised an eyebrow, that hesitant tone doesn't suit Boruto at all…

"Yeah…" He received silence and shuffling of feet as answer. "What a pain!" He sits up and look at the blonde boy. "Come on, sit down and spit up! What's the problem?"

Boruto sighed… This is harder than he thought. He can't find the right words.

"You want to apologize." Shikadai stated and laid on the grass again.

"i-I-I… Yeah… How do you know?" He stammered.

"You didn't say a word since you came here. Actually, it took you more than a minute to drag yourself here. You keep moving your feet and you didn't look at me once. You're uncomfortable. So, after all that happened, it's obvious that you want to apologize and you don't know how to do it." He opens his eyes to look at the other boy who keeps looking at his feet. "Bothersome… I told you to sit down! You're blocking my clouds…"

The genin drops on the floor next to his friend. "Sorry… But you had your eyes closed, you weren't watching clouds…"

"That's not the point… You were creeping me out… Being so still and so quiet doesn't feel like you…"

They stay in silence for a minute. "Look, Shikadai… I-I-I don't know what say to you…"

"So, don't say nothing…"

"You're saying that you don't want to speak with me?" The boy mumbles. "I understand…"

He starts to get up, but a hand pulls him down again. "Bothersome… Don't put words in my mouth, dumbass! I'm saying that you don't need to say anything. It's fine. Apology accepted." He sits up and smiles. "Let's move on! This is a pain…"

"Everything is a pain to you…" The other boy laughs. "I really should apologize… And you really should be pissed with me…"

"Hmm… Probably… But that wouldn't change a thing…" Shikadai shakes his head. "Look, you did a stupid thing. A really stupid and dangerous thing. But, in the end, none of us got hurt and I passed the exam. So, why dwell on this? It's done, it's behind us, let's move on… Maybe next time, I'll be the one doing a stupid move and you'll have to forgive me…"

"You never do stupid things… You think about everything beforehand… Ten moves ahead, right?"

"Oh great… Now I have to live up to that…" He sighs before looking at his friend. "How are things going? You went all MIA on us…"

"Grounded…" Boruto mumbles, his cheeks becoming pink. "No games, no friends, no getting out the house, no missions…"

"Ouch… That's harsh…" Shikadai makes a face.

"Yeah… Hokage's son, remember? I'm supposed to be an example…"

The brunette snorts. "Kazekage's nephew, advisor's son, diplomat's son… Yeah, I get it… My mom is always nagging me about that…"

"At least, your father is all cool…"

"Don't say it like that… Your dad is awesome…" He sighs. "You know they are just busy… They work hard… And it could be worse…"

"Now, you're sounding like Sarada…"

"Thanks a lot!" He hits the other boy's arm. "But she knows what she's talking about… Look at her father… That guy is never around…"

"But he's super awesome! He knows so many jutsus and does hand signs with one hand and he hits the targets every time!"

"You only say that because he taught you a couple of moves…" The chunin cuts him off. "And because he's not your father… I bet she would trade all this awesomeness for having him around more…"

"Hmm… She doesn't know how lucky she is! Sometimes, I wish he was my dad…"

"Lucky, hun? Do you? Do you want a father that's never home? Yeah, our fathers come home late, but they come home every night." Shikadai looks at him. "So, you want a cool dad rather than a dad who's there for you every day? Who was there on the first day of school and on your graduation? Who tucks you in bed and say that everything is okay after a nightmare?" The other boy opens his mouth, only to be cut off again. "Oh, don't even deny it, we all do that!"

Boruto loses his words for a moment. His friend is right… To be honest, he's right most of the time. But this time, he hit the nail in the head. They are the lucky ones.

"I was an ass to everybody… To you, to her, to my dad…" His voice sounds strangled and he looks down. "I don't even know how to… How to apologize… How to make up to you…"

"You never learn… I told you already. We are fine. You don't need to make up to me." He lays down again. "And for the others… You can stop arguing with them and start spending time with them… You are always picking up fights with Sarada and your father… What a pain…"

The blonde snickers. "I'm not that bad!"

The other raises an eyebrow. "Really? You painted the Hokage's Monument just to bother your dad…"

"He did it, too! More than once!"

"You are totally like him!"

"And you are just like your father!"

"Thanks!" They start laughing, finally everything started to fall in place, just like it was before.

"So… I need to head back… Dad is waiting for me…"

"Probation, hun?" The other boy nods. "So… for how long will you be grounded?"

"Dad says a month, mum says that 'we'll see'…"

"A month? We need you to play, we are in the middle of a mission…"

"I know… Sorry…"

"Nah, it's fine… We wait for you, don't worry."

Boruto gets up and starts getting back. He looks to his friend. "Shikadai… Hum… Thanks!"

"Any time…" He resumes his cloud-watching thing.

Yes, he knows he should be mad. But he's not like that. And his father always say that friends are the most precious thing in life… Maybe the old man is right… He's usually right about those things… He just wish that they don't always come to him for advice… That is bothersome…


	6. Senses

Sakura smiles as she sorts the laundry. It takes twice the time, nowadays… She thought that living alone meant less house chores, but she forgotten a small detail.: the boys that live part-time in her house. She keeps finding their clothes in the spare room, towels on the bathroom floor, dishes and bowls in the kitchen, a couple of shuriken or brushes in odd places.

She doesn't complain, though… It's comforting, it's normal. She was the first to adjust to this "new" life, to having them there, to be together again. She rearranged her schedule to be at home most of the nights, to be there to placate nightmares and offer comfort words.

At first, it was awkward for her. She's the only girl of the bunch, after all. Her bachelorette life was invaded by three boys, coming and going at ungodly hours, sleeping in her spare room, in her bedroom, in her bed.

She found out that boys take a lot of space, too. In her house and in her heart. She caught herself smiling at their sleeping forms, peaceful expressions in their faces. She shook her head at the bathroom fights and scolded them about towels and brushes and dirty laundry. She threatened them until they start doing dishes (and found out that Sasuke is actually very capable at household chores).

But it's nice. Right now, it's a nice time and place to be. She looks at the pile of black and white t-shirts and sighs… Men and their basic colours…

She can separate them by their smell, much to her friends' amusement. Hinata keeps saying that she has a dog's sense of smell. But it's easy to tell them apart. The warm scent of earth and grass with a touch of ramen that it's exclusively Naruto's. The soft smell of paint and old parchment and grass that belongs to Sai. The cold aroma of rain and metal and ashes that are entirely Sasuke's…

Yes, now her house isn't tidy and perfect. Her bed doesn't smell only like flowers and peaches and a touch of vanilla. Now, she founds things out of place and her sheets smell like ramen and paint and metal. And she can't complain about that. Because it's a nice reminder that everything is okay, that her boys are home again.

Hinata shakes her head softly. No one would tell that her (almost) always silent teammate could be this…talkative…

Her boys argued all the way from the last mission about some nonsense or another. They fought, they bickered, they sulked, they pouted and started the cycle all over again.

She sighs again and tells them to stop… For the tenth time in the last five minutes… Some would say that this is annoying. She is used with Sakura's complaints about the battering of her own teammates or with Ino's protests about hers. But to her… this is the sound of home…

During those dark times, they were quieter… Too silent for her own taste. Kiba's loud screams were down to the minimum, the buzz of Shino's bugs was almost inaudible. And they didn't fight or bicker or squabble about little things. It was like a heavy blanket was put on them and muffled the sound. Their sound. Her boys sound.

So, this is normal, this is home. And it's annoying and loud and exhausting in so many levels. Since the end of the war, she didn't have more than a couple of silent hours. It's like they want to feel the void that lives in their hearts, in her heart. With words and songs and sounds.

She smiles fondly. She knows by heart the way Kiba mumbles softly in his sleep, a little louder when he's about to wake, the way he talks sweetly with Akamaru and shouts to Shino, the way his voice cracks when they talk about the war and the fear and all those heavy things. She knows how Shino snores lightly in his sleep (even if he denies it), the way he whispers to his bugs and scolds Kiba, the way he exhales deeply before talking about the past.

Yes, she doesn't have a minute of silence, nowadays. But she doesn't complain. Even when they argue too loud about stupid things. They are alive, they are okay, they are with her.

Ino puts her hands on her hips and groans. She meets with this sight almost every day. Her boys, sprawled on her bedroom floor, one of them sleeping, the other eating something.

It's not supposed to be her favourite sight. She loves beautiful things. Nice clothes, good shoes, astonishing jewellery, perfect flowers and gorgeous landscapes. She grew up in the middle of gardens and greenhouses, filled to the brim with the most stunning plants in the world. She fell in love with an artist, for Kami sakes! But the first thing she sees when she walks home is her best friends, her brothers, lying in her rug, like two extra-large stuffed animals.

And yet, to her, is one of the most perfect sights on the planet. She knows them, in and out. She almost predicts their next gesture, their next move. The way Shikamaru intertwines his fingers before he rests his head on them, the way he squats when he's thinking, the lazy cadence of his pace, the languid movement of his arms, the way he raises his eyebrow and shakes his head at someone antics, the way he frowns when his having nightmares. She knows how Chogi gently shakes his bag of snacks before open it, how he puts his hand in his friends' shoulders with so much gentleness, how he slowly shakes his head when he's concerned about them, how he smiles when his proud about his friends, how he waves his chopsticks when he's excited, how he closes his eyes and exhales when he's angry.

She smiles and tells them to scoot over, before lying between them and chat about her day. She closes her eyes, just to open them and see her boys lying there, next to her. She beams when Chogi puts his bag down and lies closer and when Shikamaru turns to his side to look at her.

Yes, she loves beautiful, perfect, gorgeous things. And the world is full of them, in a tiny wild flower, in a perfect painting, in a nice dress. But to her, nothing compares to the sight of her boys, lying here, safe and sound and away from danger.

Tenten drops her kunai and drops to the floor. Training keeps her mind out of things, target practicing is her therapy. This is what numbs the pain and fills the void.

A couple of seconds later, she feels a hand in her head and she doesn't need to look up to know who it belongs. It's part of the job, she muses, when you are her sensei's student, you get used to be touched. A pat in the back, a hand on your head, a hug too tight to be comfortable.

She hated it at first. She's a long-range fighter and a strong, determined tomboyish girl. She loathed this touchy-feely stuff. But now… Now it feels like the only thing keeping her together.

A light weight drops in her lap and she opens her eyes to see Lee lying in the grass, his head on resting on her legs. He smiles up at her and she strokes his hair.

A couple of years ago, she would jump back and tell him to respect her space, but now… Now, it's comforting. It's like a well-rehearsed dance, the same steps repeated time after time.

She knows the feel of his soft hair between her fingers, the weight of his body against hers, his breath on her arm, the way their bodies fit together. It's a bittersweet feeling, knowing that they'll always miss a part of their hearts, that their hands will never touch him again, their arms will never embrace him one more time…

But they manage, they keep going, they keep fighting. And they hold on to each other to keep all the pieces together.

Yes, she hated to be touched or hugged, but right now, the touch of her boy is what keeps her sane. Because in her arms, nothing can hurt him, no one can take him away…


	7. Protection

**Just a little talk between Naruto and Shikamaru, because I have a (huge) soft spot for them. And their friendship is beautiful and totally underrated.**

 **I hope you like it!**

* * *

Naruto sits on a tree branch and swings his legs. He sighs. Rationally, he knows that this is stupid, they are not some innocent kids anymore. He knows that they made their own choices. He knows that they are fine. Actually, they are more than fine, they are happy.

And he's happy for them. He really is. But he can't shake this feeling, this uneasiness. They are strong, he sees that, but he knows them all too well. He knows how broken Sakura is, how self-destructive Sasuke can be and how fragile Sai is.

He's happy for them, really is, but… Love is a complicated thing and he's not as naive as people think. He's aware that love can be the most wonderful thing for them, right now... Or completely destruct them…

"Don't hurt yourself with all that thinking…" The branch shakes slightly when the other boy sits down next to him.

"Oh, hi Shikamaru, I didn't feel you there…"

"You should be more alert, knucklehead! I could be an enemy…" He looks in the same direction as the blonde. "And you shouldn't spy on your own friends, mother-hen…"

"You couldn't kill me me… Wait! What? What did you call me?"

"Knucklehead…" The brunette teases him.

"The other thing…" Naruto growls at his friend.

"Mother-hen?" Shikamaru waves his hand, dismissively. "That's what you look like, sitting here. A mother-hen protecting her hatchlings… Or should I say, a fox protecting her cubs?"

"Haha, very funny Shikamaru…" The blonde frowns at him. "And what are you doing here?"

"Me? Just checking up on my little bird, who fall in the claws of your dangerous falcon…"

"Stop teasing me…"

"Sorry, it was irresistible!" He chuckles. "Kakashi was looking for you… Something about his old students don't caring about his poor, old sensei… What's about your team and the dramatic flair?"

"We got it from him…" Naruto laughs.

However, his gaze wonders at the four figures sitting by the lake and he becomes serious again, a hard look deep in his eyes. Shikamaru looks at him and raises an eyebrow, shaking his head.

"Naruto, they are fine… I don't know why you are so worried about it…" He hesitates. "Unless… Do you still have a crush on Sakura?"

"A what? I… I… don't have a crush on her! I never did!" His voice raises an octave and he flails his arms.

"Save it! Everyone could see it. And try not to fall from here. You are dumb as you are, I don't need you with a concussion!"

"Stop calling me dumb!" Naruto sulks, extending his bottom lip. "You are worse than Sasuke!"

"You're just too easy to tease…" He snickers. "You don't have to answer me, though… Just don't lie to me, it's troublesome…"

"I don't have a crush on her… Not anymore…" He sighs. "It's just… Complicated…"

"Complicated? Sakura? She's a woman, it's supposed to be complicated…"

"Not her… Love… Love is complicated…"

Shikamaru raises his eyebrow again, a worried look crossing his face. It's unusual to see Naruto this serious. Typically, he has this spark in his eyes, a soft smile in his lips. He dropped the huge grin act a long time ago, stopped pretending that he was happy all the time, but nowadays he has a light appearance, a soft air of contempt that is quite contagious. He has this strange way to light up a room when he enters. It's truly a gift that the Jounin admires. This concerned look doesn't suit him at all and is quite disturbing, to say the least.

"Yeah, love is complicated, but it's part of life…" Shikamaru sighs. "It's not that bad, you know? Being in love…" He leans against the tree trunk and closes his eyes.

"And how do you know that? I thought that you and Temari aren't dating…" Naruto teases him.

The Jounins eyes pop open. "I didn't say nothing about Temari and stop joking with that… She'll kill me if she hears you… and she'll kill you… And Kakashi'll resurrect us just to murder us again. Troublesome…"

"Kakashi hates the Edo Tensei Jutsu, we'll be fine… And you can handle her, she has a soft spot for you…"

"I told you to stop it… We are just friends…" Naruto snickers at the older man's words. "Don't be a drag, okay?"

"Fine… You're just friends!" He looks at his friend again. "Just don't waste an opportunity… Life is short… Really short… You know that…"

"So, now you're the one giving free advice? You can have my job if you want… Being advisor is a pain in the ass…"

"Nope, you can have it! I like action, thank you very much!"

"Try to make your dear sensei get in a meeting in time and you'll see how much action my job has… What a drag…"

They laugh together, before Naruto become thoughtful again. "You are worried too, aren't you? With Ino, I mean?"

"Why? Because she's with Sai?" Naruto nods. "No, I'm not… Actually, I'm worried about him… She can handle a lot… Him… I don't know…"

"It's complicated…" The blonde nods again. "That's what I was talking about…"

"I know… I didn't disagree. I just said that it's complicated, but it's not a bad thing…" Shikamaru puts his arms behind his head and looks at his friend. "Good things take time and effort, you should know that better than me…"

"Yeah, I know… But… It shouldn't be… Not this complicated…" He emphasizes the last couple of words. "I can't stop thinking that…"

"That they can broke up and Sasuke will run away again and Sakura will be broken in a million pieces and Sai will be a hot mess…" Shikamaru deadpans. "It won't happen…"

"How do you know that?"

"I know everything, remember? Advisor, commander, head of the clan, yadda, yadda, yadda." He winks at him. "I just know… Look at them… It's easy to see that they are in love, they are happy…" He waves at the couples. "Sasuke and Sai are smiling… It's some sort of miracle, actually… They'll be fine! Relax!"

"Yeah, yeah… But I can't relax… It's just… I…"

"You are a mother-hen…" He offers and smiles. "And it's fine. You spend years trying to bring him back, trying to keep her together. And Sai is… Sai is Sai… But they are fine, they are good for each other. Sakura waited all this time for Sasuke and that bastard really loves her is some weird way… And Ino? She gets Sai, she truly gets him…"

"Only a mind-reader to understand that weirdo…" Naruto chuckles. "You're probably right…"

"I'm always right, it's a curse." He closes his eyes again.

"But you are here, too, so, you are worried…"

"Fine, I was worried, but not with them…" Shikamaru looks at him again. "I was worried with you, dumbass."

"With me? I'm not the one in love…"

"You could be…" He laughs at the blonde's confused look. "Forget it, that's a talk for another time… I was worried because you're the one overthinking their relationships. And that is bad for your health, you can't think too much…"

"Oh thanks, you such a nice friend!" Naruto snarls and hits his leg. "Can you stop calling me dumb?"

"You're not dumb, not at all. But you're worrying over nothing and that's bad for anyone. Stop, they'll be fine… And if they don't… We'll handle it, right? We handled worse…"

Naruto nods at his friend and crosses his legs, in a meditating stance. "Yeah, we did…"

They sit there in silence, long time after the couples left, basking in the comforting silence. Everything will be fine, deep down they know that… And if it won't… They'll handle it… After all, holding people together is kind of their unspoken job…


	8. Legacy

**Just a little meeting that makes some sense in my mind... I don't even know why, but here it is!**

The sun was shining bright on the white graves and reflected on the the stone of the monument. It was just another perfect summer day.

Some would say that it was a waste of time spending it on the cemetery, but these are the days when he missed them the most.

These are the days that he used to spend playing shougi on the balcony or lying in the grass, talking about nothing and everything with one of them.

These are the days when he misses them the most, when he grieves the most.

He hears the soft footsteps approaching him. He knows that if the owner doesn't wanted be heard, he would concealed his proximity. He's surprised, not by the other presence there, but by his willing to be noticed.

He lights a cigarette and plays with the lighter, waiting to be acknowledge.

´"Your father?" The other man stops by his side, looking to the engraved in the monument.

"No… Asuma…" He gestures towards the name. "My father is over there… With the others..." He points to the a column to the right.

"With the ones who fell in the war…" Sasuke says.

"That was the thought, probably… I think they follow some chronological order or something like that…"  
"Yeah, I guess…" The other runs a finger above a name. "They are all victims of the war… The last one, the other three… We keep making the same mistakes…"

"It's the human condition… We are… shallow…" The jounin exhales a ring of smoke. "We are greedy and vindictive… That's the reason behind the fourth war, right? Vengeance… Or the need of power… I don't even know anymore…"

"Both, probably…" The older man shakes his head. "It's inebriating, it blinds your senses, your mind… You only breath, eat, drink, dream about it…"

"Avenging something? Someone?..."

Sasuke looks in the distance, lost in his own thoughts for a moment, before answering.

"Yes… But it's selfish… It's always selfish…"

Shikamaru is stunned for a moment. He never expected this statement. Not from the man who run away from everything just to seek power.

"I'm talking about me, if that's what you are thinking…" The other smirks. "I was foolish. I knew that, I just didn't want to acknowledge it and to hear the ones who cared about me…"

"Yeah, you are kind of a jerk back then…" The younger man smirks back. "But you're getting better, from what I hear…"

"You shouldn't talk so much with that knucklehead… He makes you believe in stupid things."

"Especially in people…" Shikamaru laughs.

"Right…" The other looks back at the monument again. "So many people died in vain…"

"Not in vain… For vain reasons, maybe… But not in vain…" He flicks the lighter on and off. "They left a legacy. They left something for us to live for…"

"You're right… But…" Sasuke sighs deeply. "It hurts like hell… It's… lonely…"

"It gets better, with time… I hope that, at least…"

"It gets… numbed… I don't know if it's better, it just… hurts less…"

"I know… There is always a void, something that it's missing…"

"Yeah, it's that… It's exactly like that…"

"I can't even imagine what you feel…" Shikamaru looks at him. "People like you, like Naruto… You're beyond my comprehension… What you went through, all alone… And you step on the other side still in one piece…"

"We survived, yes… But not in one piece. Don't be fooled by Naruto's grin or my blank face. We are broken..." His eyes darkened for a moment. "Sometimes I think we are broken beyond repair…"

"I thought that, too… I know it's stupid when compared to what you suffered, but…" He shakes his head. "When I lost them… I thought that I couldn't live anymore… That I didn't have anything left…"

"And then, someone showed you that you are wrong…" Sasuke smirks.

The jounin laughs. "Yup, that's it… I thought that avenging them would be enough…"

"But it feels even more empty… Like a black hole that sucks everything…"

Shikamaru nods, but stays in silence.

"I kept making that mistake, over and over… Even after everyone told me to stop, even after I felt my soul being ripped apart… You were smarter than me… You are, actually…"

"Nah, I just got lucky… Avenging Asuma's death was just a matter of strategy… And my father… Well, we needed to won that war…"

"I'm not talking about that… You were smart enough to keep going with your life. I was stucked… Filled with hate and anger… Thinking that I was better than anyone else… And now…" He shakes his head. "Look where I am now…"

"Now, you're healing, moving forward." He winks at the other man. "Now, you're with a woman who loves you more than anything in the world, you're working with your best friend. And you're becoming a really valuable shinobi of this village."

"Maybe…"

"Oh, trust me! I know that… Your dear old sensei can't shut his mouth about you. All of you! In his words, the world is a better place because it has Team Seven!"

Sasuke chuckles. "So dramatic…"

"It runs in the team, I supposed…"

"Haha very funny…" He gazes again at the monument.

"Do you… Do you feel avenged? At peace? With your clan, I mean…"

"Hn… Avenged? No… I'll never feel avenged, not entirely… There was too many secrets, too many blood shedded, too many lives shattered… No one can ever avenge it…" He closes his eyes. "At peace? Yeah, I think I am… I finally am… Talking with my brother… It helped… Not in the moment, but…"

"After Naruto knocked some senses into you…" The other chuckles.

"Yeah, after that… After talking with him, with Sakura, with Kakashi…" He closes his eyes and turns his face to the wind. "Being here… Finally I feel at home again, like I belong, like I have some purpose in life again…"

"Which is?"

"Protecting Konoha. Protecting these people. Live life at the fullest for once. Maybe restoring my clan, someday… Or having a family, at least…"

"Han, the great Uchiha Sasuke thinking about family and kids? That is something I never expected…"

"Me neither!" The man laughs. "But now? Now, I think I want it. All of it…"

"Yeah, I get you…" He smiles at the name engraved in front of them. "Seems the right thing to do, right? They would like it, I'm sure. This idiot never had the chance to meet his daughter, but I know he would be the best father. And my old man? He would spoiled my kids so much…"

Sasuke looks at the hill where the Uchiha graveyard rests. "My father would be more concerned with the legacy than with the kids, to be honest… But my mother… She would love to have grandkids…" He smiles fondly. "She was such a loving, caring woman…"

"You were close to her, right?" The Uchiha nods in agreement. "My mother drives me insane, but… She's the best…" He looks at the other shinobi. "And your brother?"

"Hn? What with him?"

"Did he like kids?"

"Oh, yes… He was great with kids… I bet that my children would love him more than me…"

"Probably… You are kind of a jerk…" He laughs. "But you're learning!"

"Yeah, thanks I guess…" He smirks. "Shikamaru…"

"Hum…?"

"Thanks… For everything…" Sasuke looks him in the eye. "You never judge me, you just accept that I'm back, no questions asked… Thanks. Really…"

"Nah, leave it. I'm not the one to judge. The Hokage and the council forgave you. And you being back… Well, you took a weight of my shoulders… That rescuing mission, your teammates running around after you… All those things kept me awake too many nights… I'm the one who should be thankful…"

Sasuke just nod his head and keeps looking at the monument in front of them. So many lives lost, so many families broken… But at the same time… All those people left a legacy behind, all those people still live in someone's heart, all those people are still alive every time they talk about them, every time they remember them…

Shikamaru runs a finger over the stone and lights another cigarette. Yes, the emptiness will always linger in his heart, especially in days like this. But he knows that it's getting better. He knows that he's healing. He knows that he's honouring them. And he knows, that one day, he'll make them proud. The ones that he lost and the ones that are by his side.

He glances at the man beside him. Maybe this is the reason why some people leave… To open space for someone enter… Even if it is a little unexpected...


End file.
